Tinder Box: The Iroquois Theatre Disaster 1903

by Anthony P. Hatch

Book Overview

This the 100th anniversary of one of worst man-made disasters of the 20th century. When the Iroquois Theatre opened in Chicago on November 23, 1903, it was considered one of the grandest structures of its day, a monument to modern design and technology, as well as "absolutely fireproof." This was a theatre that would rival any in New York or Paris. Instead it became the funeral pyre for hundreds of victims. Tony Hatch, former CBS reporter and Emmy...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0897335147
• ISBN13: 9780897335140
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Well Written and Well Researched

On December 30, 1903, the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago was crowded beyond capacity with theatergoers eager to see Eddie Foy in "Mr. Blue Beard". The well-written and well-researched "Tinder Box" by Anthony Hatch describes what happened that tragic afternoon when a spotlight short-circuited starting a fire that eventually killed over 600 people. Considering the fact that the fire happened over 100 years ago, with no living witnesses to interview and many facts have been lost in time, Hatch does an admirable job describing the events leading up to the fire, the fire itself, and the aftermath. He does an excellent job describing how the Iroquois came to be built and the haste with which it was built (it only took five months) and the shoddy workmanship involved, as well as how many officials were willing to turn their heads and ignore the many fire code violations at the Iroquois. His description of the crowded theatre the day of the fire is mind boggling; one victim in fact called the theater a fire trap as she went to her seat. There were over 500 more people than capacity in attendance; the exit doors opened in instead of out; and the person who was supposed to operate the fire curtain was a substitute who didn't know which lines actually worked the curtain. There was little done to help the audience and incredibly enough the actors continued to perform while the fire was burning. Hatch also gives descriptions of the fire victims and survivors, which make the tragedy even more real. Some of the ways people escaped the fire were incredible and there were many heroes that night. There were also many villains that night and Hatch describes they way people robbed some of the dead. Hatch also covers the aftermath of the fire including the trial and how the owners tried to blame the victims and how evidence was tampered with. Although Hatch did not write the book until 2002, he had started to research it back in the 1960's and at that time had interviewed a fireman who had fought the fire and a newspaper reporter who covered the fire. Those accounts helped make the scene of the fire real as I was reading the book. There was no spot photography at the time, so while there are pictures of the theatre before and after the fire, there are no actual pictures of the fire itself. But Hatch includes many drawings done at the time of the fire that show how horrible it was. He also includes editorial cartoons that show how much the fire touched the lives of people in Chicago. There is not a list of people who died in the fire because there was never an exact count of how many people did die. "Tinder Box" is a well-written account of a tragic event in Chicago's history.

Highly recommended

It was the end of 1903, and many people were looking for entertainment for themselves and their out-of-school children. The new Iroquois Theatre was widely hailed as fire-proof, and the matinee performance of Eddie Foy in the musical fantasy Mr. Bluebeard sounded perfect. The theatre filled to capacity, and beyond, as people packed the standing room areas and prepared for a good time. However, when a sparking spotlight set a curtain on fire, the theatre proved to be a death trap, leaving some 600 people dead, mostly women and children. In the resulting investigation, it was found that the Iroquois was built without proper, legally required, safety features, and that city inspectors had been bribed with free tickets into turning a blind eye towards the theatre's many violations. However, when all was said and done, only one person was convicted of anything, a man convicted of robbing the dead! Just what happened on that December day in Chicago, what brought it on, and what was the result? Read this book to find out! Overall, I really liked this book. The author does a great job of explaining what happened to make the Iroquois a death-trap. And, I must say that I was surprised to see that even back then the theatre owners could hire themselves a sharp, unscrupulous lawyer, who would see to it that they were not held responsible for their actions...or perhaps I should not be. This is a very informative and highly entertaining book, one that I highly recommend to everyone. (By the way, the Iroquois Theatre disaster was the second worst in Chicago history, the sinking of the Eastland claimed some 844 lives.)

Human Drama

With extraordinary thoroughness and an obvious love of his subject, Anthony Hatch makes vivid the story of Chicago's Iroquois Theatre fire of 1903. With eerie parallels to the Titanic disaster, the Iroquois' programs boasted that the theater was "Absolutely Fireproof"-- but everyone involved seemed to think somebody else had done whatever was necessary to make that claim a reality.The most deadly theater fire in U.S. history, the event is heartbreaking to read about, but Hatch has ferreted out the many human stories of the victims, survivors, reporters, firefighters, theater managers, and politicians who were involved, and found heroes as well as villains in this tragedy. In spite of the lessons learned and laws changed as a result of this terrible loss, Hatch's research shows that many modern theaters repeat some of the careless mistakes of the Iroquois. Everyone who frequents public buildings would be well-advised to read this fascinating story and take its lessons to heart.

How and Why A Disaster Happened

In an age when government wants to regulate nearly every aspect of our lives, it seems incredible that the Iroquois Theater disaster could have even happend. So that the reader may understand the how and why of it, author Hatch has provided us with fine introductory chapters concerning the theater business of the day and how it operated, the political realities of Chicago (and elsewhere)at the time, the physical aspects of how fires were fought, and how the combination brought about this disaster. Without this information, the book would be far less informing than it is. With it, it becomes a fascinating, horrific look at a disaster that didn't need to happen. This book is excellent reading and reminds us all that we forget the lessons of the Iroquois Theater at our peril.

You Can Feel the Heat and Sorrow Between the Covers

Mr. Hatch has written a taunt true story of grim reality. Like the Titanic, The Hidenberg, The Coconut Grove and other assorted and avoidable human disasters, the reader knows the ending before opening the book. But like all good reporters - and Mr. Hatch is first, last and always a well seasoned newsman - it is how he stacks the facts that counts. In Tinder Box it is not 'what' happens, as much as 'how' and 'why,' and finally, sadly, who pays the price. In today's era of litigation, much is made of the lawyer-sharks; but before their arrival, the victims of these man-made tragedies were like guppies swimming with piranhas. Only the victims paid. Mr. Hatch is never brutal, but neither does he turn aside from the grim facets of those ghastly events of that day in in late 1903,when 600 victims, many of them women and children, burned to death in an "absolutely fireproof" building. It is a great read, fast paced and gripping.